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Council approves enterprise‑zone amendment to spur infill housing and funds Sunnyside Park expansion
Summary
Council approved a local enterprise‑zone amendment focused on residential infill and a Sunnyside Park expansion funded by a $600,000 IDNR grant plus partner contributions; staff said incentives (sales tax exemptions, property tax abatements) are targeted to move stalled projects forward.
Council members discussed and approved two pulled consent items tied to local development and parks investment.
Member Strazza asked detailed questions about an amendment to the region’s Enterprise Zone (item 7r). City staff and the interim CEO of the Bloomington‑Normal Economic Development Council (BNEDC), Tyler Cravens, said the amendment covers only city property and is intended to help housing and mixed‑use infill on several city parcels, including a former Kroger site, a former post office and stalled apartment projects. Cravens described the main incentives available locally as sales‑tax exemptions for materials and, for larger projects meeting threshold criteria, property‑tax abatements administered locally (with additional state incentives for very large projects).
Separately, Member Ward asked that item 7n be pulled so staff could explain the Sunnyside Park project. Parks Director Eric Veal and Assistant Director David Lamb described a collaborative Sunnyside Park expansion: a roughly 12‑acre transformation funded initially by a $600,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) open‑space grant, with up to about $6.8 million additional financing to come from partner(s) including the Bloomington‑Normal Water Reclamation District and other partners. Planned features include native plantings (native trees and prairie species), interpretive water‑quality signage, trails, an outdoor exercise area and educational programming for school groups. Staff said some stalled multifamily projects are ready to proceed if the enterprise‑zone incentives improve project pro formas.
Both items passed on council votes recorded by the clerk.
